Teacher Talk
In Preschool Teachers' Talk, Role and Activities Settings during Free Play, the article suggests that what the teacher says in conversation will stimulate the quality of the learning expirience that children get out of "free playtime" in early childhood. In mathematics class(fall student teaching placement), for example kindergarteners are first given math manipulatives to play with for at least a week in this "free play" activity in order familarize the child with the piece before a formal lesson. The teacher does not get involved but they are allowed to do an independent discovery. What method would you use? A free play where the teacher raises dialogue with the students? Or allow children to "free play" without teacher dialogue as a independent discovery activity?
posted by zenaruskai at 5:24 PM
9 Comments:
I think the idea behind "free play" is allowing students to build curiosity before introducing them to the more abstract part of certain concept. I personally like the idea of building curiosity in a child and using that as the motivating factor for learning something new. I also think that this may allow for more intrinsic learning where the student engages in their own learning without feeling pressured or disengaged. I do believe that each "free play" should have a purpose, so whether the dialogue or discussion comes before, during, or after will have to depend on the lesson being taught because sometimes it might be best to let a student come to their own understanding, this of course still takes preparation and guidance by the teacher. It is therefore important to always have a goal in mind and an assessment strategy to know that they have reached that goal, which may or may not be formal.
I think it all depends on which manipulatives the teacher is using and what the end goal is. As with most either/or choices, I think there should be a balance. If students are always left to "free play" without teacher dialogue, their understanding of how to use manipulatives could potentially be lacking due to lack of teacher support. However, if students are always directed in how they "should" be using the manipulatives, these students could miss out on opportunities for creativity and knowledge of their own interests. Right now, I work in a school with very minimal direct instruction and students are always allowed to "free play" with little or no teacher dialogue. Currently, the school's mathematics department is very concerned that students are having difficulty completing assignments independently, especially for real problem solving questions. With a lack of direction and scaffolding, of course students are going to be a bit lost. This is an extreme case, but, had the school adopted a more balanced mathematics curriculum, the students would be able to complete their assignments.
For preschoolers, I believe “free play” should be allowed without teacher dialogue. I believe doing this will create a new and unique learning experience for the child. In most other instances where a child may be playing I believe the tendency of who ever is watching that child play, is to give some sort of instruction. That person probably feels that the child, at such a young age, is not capable of understanding what to do. The classroom will probably be the only place where that child will get a chance to experience independent discovery. It is possible that dialogue will stimulate the quality of the learning experience, but teachers can leave that up to the parents. This way the child will be able to learn from a guided “free play” in the home and a true “free play” in the classroom. The observation of true “free play” in the classroom may also help teachers get a better understanding of the "funds of knowledge" a child may be learning at home.
When free playing with young children, I think that it is important to explore for themselves. If children are told what they should be expressing and how to express their own feelings during an activity, they are not truly discovering, they are copying what the adult is telling them to do.
I also think that adults can use questions during a 'free play' activity to activate different thoughts and ideas which were not used before.
SO I would prefer mostly independent free play with minimal discussion with an adult. Children become so regimented in their learning later in life that early years should be kept for creativity and free expression.
In the kindergarten class I obsrved, the teacher would also use the same strategy; and free play is essential because the students will bring questions to the class discussion. I think that at times that is what a classroom need inorder to get the students interested in the lesson.; but I also think it should be used effectively and carefully because it can also back fire. Free play, from what I noticed it should be kept into a minimum and have a specific play object, this way work the best in my opinion.
I haven't read that article, but according to the information in the question as well as the replies, I think "free play" is a good idea to make students think more and become more motivated. It also depends upon a lot of contextual factors, such as the subject matters, age of the kids and so forth. For example, if first graders are exposed to such approach, I am afraid many kids may be off-track during "free play" due to a lack of self-discipline. As for some subjects that involve a lot of higher-order thinking, this approach-without teacher's aid or direction at all-may lead to some misconceptions or misunderstandings in some students' cases.
Thus, teacher should be cautious when taking advantage of "free play" and take a lot of factors into account.
I think it is a great idea to offer students the opportunity for "free play." Students need the opportunity to engage in mathematics in whatever way intrigues them, without the guidance of the teacher. Children can be very creative and while they might not use the manipulatives in the intended way, they will most likely find their own unique form of using the manipulatives. It also encourages children to think in new ways. The teacher can observe the students and after "free play" ask them why they did certain things with the manipulatives. I do not believe that free play should be a daily activity, but perhaps a once a week activity or once every other week. I observed in a second grade classroom that allowed students to engage in free play for 20 minutes on Friday. This was not limited to math manipulatives, but students were allowed to "play" with any of the classroom resources. It was interesting to see what activities the students engaged in and how they used the resources.
I agree with Sarah D. that it depends on the end goal, that it depends on what the teacher is aiming to achieve. Having worked in an early childhood setting, when it comes to "free play" it is important to direct the child and guide the child in seeing the different possibilities of the manipulatives or the activity he/she is engaging in. I think it also helps the child focus on specific skills that he/she may need to develop. However, once the child has been directed, I think it is important to let the child explore by providing ample time and space.
Mathematics can be a difficult subject for many young children in that a lot of the concepts are abstract. I think free play is good in that it allows students to enjoy mathematics and can promote learning; children do indeed learn some mathematics from free play, but that alone cannot instill a deep understanding of complex mathematic concepts. Free play can create a good foundation, but the teacher must follow-up to build structure on that foundation. So, free play combined with adequate guidance from the teacher would enable curious minds to grasp even the complex mathematical ideas. When giving guidance, as we have mentioned many times, teachers should teach in a way that is developmentally appropriate, building on student’s interests and informal knowledge as much as possible.
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